Responses to the short-term effect of the zero per cent fee increase on South African universities

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External job satisfaction factors improving the overall job satisfaction of selected five-star hotel employees

Published ArticleOne of the 2011 South African National Tourism Sector Strategy objectives is to "provide excellent people development and decent work within the tourism sector". The hospitality industry is, however, not regarded as a provider of decent work and a close link exists between decent work and job satisfaction. External job satisfaction can be defined as satisfaction relating to the work environment of employees. The purpose of this study was to identify the external job satisfaction factors which contribute to overall job satisfaction of employees in selected five-star hotels. The instrument used to gather the quantitative data was a newly developed index based on the literature review conducted. The empirical study was conducted among 124 employees of four five-star hotels in the Western Cape. All three factors identified (supervision, work environment and work itself) were found to be significantly and positively correlated with overall job satisfaction in five-star hotels in the Western Cape

Serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in heart valve disease

Serum levels of natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT- proBNP) are known to increase in cardiac failure, and aid in the diagnosis and management of such patients. BNP and NT-proBNP also increase in patients with heart valve lesions, and may contribute to the assessment and management of these patients. There appears to be a general trend towards higher BNP values in more severe heart valve lesions, but the exact implication of a raised BNP or NTproBNP appears to be different for each specific valve lesion. In aortic valve stenosis increased levels of BNP/NT-proBNP correlate with the degree of stenosis, symptoms and prognosis. In addition, the increased natriuretic peptide levels seem to reflect left ventricular dysfunction, as high levels predict poor long-term outcomes in conservatively treated patients as well as post-operative death and poor functional recovery in those who survive the valve replacement procedure. In mitral regurgitation natriuretic peptide levels correlate with the degree of valvular regurgitation, and seem to reflect subclinical left ventricular dysfunction. Serum natriuretic peptide levels are elevated in patients with mitral stenosis, and correlate with the degree of valvular stenosis and increased pulmonary pressure. Serum levels of natriuretic peptides are elevated in other heart valve lesions, such as aortic valve regurgitation, as well as different forms of mixed valvular disease, but very little is known about the relationship between the serum levels of natriuretic peptides and the latter valve lesions. The practical application of our knowledge concerning serum natriuretic peptides and heart valve disease is limited at this stage, and no specific cut-off values to guide patient management have been incorporated into any official guidelines as yet. This review aims to summarise current knowledge on serum BNP and NT–proBNP levels in patients with heart valve disease. The impact of this information on current clinical decision making in patients with different heart valve lesions, as well as evolving concepts concerning its potential future use, will be discussed

#Feesmustfall and beyond: Towards a sustainable national student loan regulatory framework

Universities have been forced to raise higher education fees with above inflation rates due to increasing operating costs and higher student numbers and decreasing real term government funding. While free higher education or other alternative funding models are being considered, the higher education sector is at stake: a sector that plays a vital role in creating improved lives for all South Africans. A sustainable framework is desperately required or universities will once again need to increase student fees at unreasonable rates to maintain quality. We therefore performed a mixed method documentary analysis to prove that fee-free higher education is not viable in South Africa as significant funds will either need to be reallocated from other sectors that also require funding, or it will have to be collected from already overburdened tax payers. The present study also developed a viable student fee regulatory framework with the use of grounded theory: subsidised higher education with the effective use of the already implemented National Student Financial Aid Scheme

The birth of airplane stability theory

Airplane stability theory was born at the end of the XIX century and matured around 100 years ago, when airplanes were hardly controllable yet. The success and safety of flights in the pioneer years depended upon largely unknown stability and control characteristics. Understanding the modes of airplane motion has been of paramount importance for the development of aviation. The contributions made by a few scientists in the decades preceding and following the first flight by the Wright brothers set the concepts and equations that, with minor notation aspects, have remained almost unchanged till present day.Magraner Rullan, JP.; Martinez-Val, R. (2014). The birth of airplane stability theory. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering. 228(9):1498-1506. doi:10.1177/0954410013494139S149815062289PERKINS, C. D. (1970). Development of airplane stability and control technology /1970 Von Karman Lecture/. Journal of Aircraft, 7(4), 290-301. doi:10.2514/3.44167Abzug, M. J., & Larrabee, E. E. (2002). Airplane Stability and Control, Second Edition. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511607141Graham, W. R. (1999). Asymptotic analysis of the classical aircraft stability equations. The Aeronautical Journal, 103(1020), 95-103. doi:10.1017/s0001924000027792Bryan, G. H., & Williams, W. E. (1904). The Longitudinal Stability of Aerial Gliders. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 73(488-496), 100-116. doi:10.1098/rspl.1904.0017Wegener, P. P. (1997). What Makes Airplanes Fly? doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-2254-5Pradeep, S., & Kamesh, S. (1999). Does the Phugoid Frequency Depend on Speed? Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 22(2), 372-373. doi:10.2514/2.4391Phillips, W. F. (2000). Phugoid Approximation for Conventional Airplanes. Journal of Aircraft, 37(1), 30-36. doi:10.2514/2.2586Pamadi, B. N. (2004). Performance, Stability, Dynamics, and Control of Airplanes, Second Edition. doi:10.2514/4.862274Ananthkrishnan, N., & Ramadevi, P. (2002). Consistent Approximations to Aircraft Longitudinal Modes. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 25(4), 820-824. doi:10.2514/2.4952McRuer, D. T., Graham, D., & Ashkenas, I. (1990). Aircraft Dynamics and Automatic Control. doi:10.1515/978140085598

Axial distribution of myosin binding protein-C is unaffected by mutations in human cardiac and skeletal muscle

Myosin binding protein-C (MyBP-C), a major thick filament associated sarcomeric protein, plays an important functional and structural role in regulating sarcomere assembly and crossbridge formation. Missing or aberrant MyBP-C proteins (both cardiac and skeletal) have been shown to cause both cardiac and skeletal myopathies, thereby emphasising its importance for the normal functioning of the sarcomere. Mutations in cardiac MyBP-C are a major cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), while mutations in skeletal MyBP-C have been implicated in a disease of skeletal muscle—distal arthrogryposis type 1 (DA-1). Here we report the first detailed electron microscopy studies on human cardiac and skeletal tissues carrying MyBP-C gene mutations, using samples obtained from HCM and DA-1 patients. We have used established image averaging methods to identify and study the axial distribution of MyBP-C on the thick filament by averaging profile plots of the A-band of the sarcomere from electron micrographs of human cardiac and skeletal myopathy specimens. Due to the difficulty of obtaining normal human tissue, we compared the distribution to the A-band structure in normal frog skeletal, rat cardiac muscle and in cardiac muscle of MyBP-C-deficient mice. Very similar overall profile averages were obtained from the C-zones in cardiac HCM samples and skeletal DA-1 samples with MyBP-C gene mutations, suggesting that mutations in MyBP-C do not alter its mean axial distribution along the thick filament

The KCNE genes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a candidate gene study

The original publication is available at http://www.jnrbm.com/content/10/1/12Includes bibliographyAbstract Background The gene family KCNE1-5, which encode modulating β-subunits of several repolarising K+-ion channels, has been associated with genetic cardiac diseases such as long QT syndrome, atrial fibrillation and Brugada syndrome. The minK peptide, encoded by KCNE1, is attached to the Z-disc of the sarcomere as well as the T-tubules of the sarcolemma. It has been suggested that minK forms part of an "electro-mechanical feed-back" which links cardiomyocyte stretching to changes in ion channel function. We examined whether mutations in KCNE genes were associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic disease associated with an improper hypertrophic response. Results The coding regions of KCNE1, KCNE2, KCNE3, KCNE4, and KCNE5 were examined, by direct DNA sequencing, in a cohort of 93 unrelated HCM probands and 188 blood donor controls. Fifteen genetic variants, four previously unknown, were identified in the HCM probands. Eight variants were non-synonymous and one was located in the 3'UTR-region of KCNE4. No disease-causing mutations were found and no significant difference in the frequency of genetic variants was found between HCM probands and controls. Two variants of likely functional significance were found in controls only. Conclusions Mutations in KCNE genes are not a common cause of HCM and polymorphisms in these genes do not seem to be associated with a propensity to develop arrhythmiaPeer Reviewe

Коррекция двигательных и поведенческих функций в лечении и реабилитации больных шизотипическим расстройством

На основании особенностей невербального поведения больных шизотипическим расстройством разработаны поведенческие методы, применение которых в их комплексной терапии позволяет добиться более полной редукции психопатологической симптоматики.Behavioral methods were worked out basing of the peculiarities of non−verbal behavior of the patients with schizotypical disorders. The use of the methods in complex therapy allows to achieve more complete reduction in psychopathological signs